2012 Games Related Area
There have been specific geographical areas identified that will get particular benefits from Games Time itself. These are because they are either associated with Olympic venues or will be major Gateways into the region.
Eton Dorney is the location for the rowing and flat water canoeing whilst the Solent will benefit significantly from the staging of the sailing events at Weymouth. The Olympic Cycling Road race event around Surrey will have strong associations with both the Gatwick and Heathrow GRAs and TSE is working with represenatives in these areas.
Eton Dorney – Dorney Lakes is the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic rowing and flat water canoeing events and as well as handling the 30,000 people per day expected to visit the site and 5,000 sponsors, staff and volunteers that will be involved, there will be major opportunities for Windsor and the surrounding area to raise it’s profile. Further details can be found by visiting the 2012 section on the Windsor website.
Kent – with quick and easy access out of London, Kent is expected to benefit significantly from ‘ Games Time’, particularly now that Brands Hatch has been chosen as the site of the Paralympic Cycling Road Race. Kent already has in place Europe’s first Greeters programme and the Big Day Out project to make local people more aware of the fantastic attractions around them. The Dickens Bi centenary Festival in 2012 will also have a major focus in the county as well as spreading into London and down to Portsmouth too. For the latest information visit these websites:
VisitKent
Medway London 2012
Dickens 2012
Heathrow – as one of the ‘Official Gateways’ to the Games there will be a focus on uplifting the welcome at Heathrow Airport and providing training for temporary accommodation and training camps that may be put in place during the Games. The associated heritage of the Paralympic Games with Stoke Mandeville will be used to create tours to the area as well as providing a motivation for paralympic teams to use this area as a training camp base. For the latest information visit the following websites:
Buckinghamshire 2012
Gatwick – from Brighton and up through the Gatwick ‘Diamond’ incorporating Sussex and Surrey, there are a variety of opportunities to raise the profile and quality of experience. The new owners of Gatwick airport are upgrading the welcome putting over 1,400 staff through TSE’s Welcome Host Gold customer service programme and introducing lots of high impact imagery from the local area into the Arrivals areas. The announcement early in 2011 of the Olympic Cycling Road race around Surrey including the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has created a massive new opportunity to improve quality and increase visitors for Games Time and beyond. Further details can be found by visiting:
Solent - With the sailing events being held at Weymouth there is a major opportunity to boost the Solent’s reputation for leisure sailing and yachting. Activity led by PUSH will include a much improved website, a PR campaign and cultural events based around the Dickens bicentenary and a Titanic centenary both in 2012.
